User Reviews (34)

We have an HK 3470 model installed in our office board room 6 years back and the system was working perfectly fine. Sound effect and everything was fine. The thing is that now the volume control knob does not function well. Is it repairable or replaceable I would like to know. Otherwise the system is in good and fantastic condition.And what would be the cost of the same. I am based in Mumbai, India. Please let me know by Email

Thanks
Claver Fernandes

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Claver Fernandes Audio Enthusiast

[Nov 05, 2012]

We have an HK 3470 model installed in our office board room 6 years back and the system was working perfectly fine. Sound effect and everything was fine. The thing is that now the volume control knob does not function well. Is it repairable or replaceable I would like to know. Otherwise the system is in good and fantastic condition.And what would be the cost of the same. I am based in Mumbai, India. Please let me know by Email

Thanks
Claver Fernandes

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Roman C.
Audio Enthusiast [Oct 10, 2012]

I was working part time back then at Fry's electronics (Fremont CA) and I'm in charge in electronic stock. I noticed this thing sitting at the back shelf just collecting dust, of course its brand new then. So on my break I came about reading outside specification of this box and since I was taking electronics I've learned that the best sound music is being measured by THD. Which in layman terms called Total Harmonic Distortion. And my professor said anything less than 0.08THD is and excellent equipment.

Then I noticed this is even better because it has only 0.07 % and with my discount got it under a hudred bucks. Took it home and paired it with my Bose speakers. At first, the sound quality was alright more bass than treble but when I paired it with an Equaizer which a lot of people just ingored it for the past and now. I'm telling you the sound is perfectly clear and crystal. It's like openning the horse power of this system.

So for all of you out there if you see any equalizer buy it and pair it with this receiver you will hear a lot more difference. I listen to classical music and every now and then. I attend an opera house in NY where they play classical music. The experience is just listening in my living room and of course also located in NY.

Thank you and hope this is helpful

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Roman C. Audio Enthusiast

[Oct 10, 2012]

I was working part time back then at Fry's electronics (Fremont CA) and I'm in charge in electronic stock. I noticed this thing sitting at the back shelf just collecting dust, of course its brand new then. So on my break I came about reading outside specification of this box and since I was taking electronics I've learned that the best sound music is being measured by THD. Which in layman terms called Total Harmonic Distortion. And my professor said anything less than 0.08THD is and excellent equipment.

Then I noticed this is even better because it has only 0.07 % and with my discount got it under a hudred bucks. Took it home and paired it with my Bose speakers. At first, the sound quality was alright more bass than treble but when I paired it with an Equaizer which a lot of people just ingored it for the past and now. I'm telling you the sound is perfectly clear and crystal. It's like openning the horse power of this system.

So for all of you out there if you see any equalizer buy it and pair it with this receiver you will hear a lot more difference. I listen to classical music and every now and then. I attend an opera house in NY where they play classical music. The experience is just listening in my living room and of course also located in NY.

Thank you and hope this is helpful

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

John L.
Audio Enthusiast [Aug 13, 2006]

Strength:

Check out Premier Acoustic Tower Speakers on e-bay. My cherry edition are
furniture quality in appearance and sound equally fine. The HK receiver really
makes them shine. The horn section in Tower of Power Live (1999) sounds
phenomenal through my system. I prefer HK over comparably priced Sony and/or
Onkyo components. The sound clarity is deeper, warmer, and more thoroughly
defined. Individual instruments stand out. It's almost as good as "being there".

Two channel audio enthusiasts will enjoy the HK 3470 or current model 3480
receivers. You can build a good quality component system around either choice
at affordable cost.

It may not be analogous to driving an Infiniti or Lexus automobile. However, is there anything wrong with a Camry? Better to put the cost savings into your IRA
account or a 529 Plan for your children's college savings. I think you would need to spend a lot more to achieve a substantial improvement in overall sound quality.

The HK has been an excellent performer. Be sure to use in a well ventilated rack or audio stand. It gets warm quickly. No, it doesn't run hot. However, it does need adequate ventilation.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

John L. Audio Enthusiast

[Aug 13, 2006]

Strength:

Check out Premier Acoustic Tower Speakers on e-bay. My cherry edition are
furniture quality in appearance and sound equally fine. The HK receiver really
makes them shine. The horn section in Tower of Power Live (1999) sounds
phenomenal through my system. I prefer HK over comparably priced Sony and/or
Onkyo components. The sound clarity is deeper, warmer, and more thoroughly
defined. Individual instruments stand out. It's almost as good as "being there".

Two channel audio enthusiasts will enjoy the HK 3470 or current model 3480
receivers. You can build a good quality component system around either choice
at affordable cost.

It may not be analogous to driving an Infiniti or Lexus automobile. However, is there anything wrong with a Camry? Better to put the cost savings into your IRA
account or a 529 Plan for your children's college savings. I think you would need to spend a lot more to achieve a substantial improvement in overall sound quality.

The HK has been an excellent performer. Be sure to use in a well ventilated rack or audio stand. It gets warm quickly. No, it doesn't run hot. However, it does need adequate ventilation.

OVERALLRATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Pure_Amp
Audio Enthusiast [Jan 14, 2006]

Strength:

Decibels

Weakness:

sound quality

I hope you will find this interesting.
Wifee bought this for me, as I had been a proud owner of a HK from college days, that being a PM-645VXI. The PM645VXI is a true bad boy, you will appreciate this more in just a bit.
I have been always unimpressed with the sound quality from my HK3470. Sure, it has power to spare; it can make you ears bleed, but the imaging is just not there. I am not an audiophile, actually deah in one ear. The reason my one ear is damaged, as I have always loved, loud music. But appreciated good quality reproduction. As for good quality reproduction, this HK-3470 is lame. Just tonight, I finally am happy with it. I am using it as a pre-amp(remote control) for my stellar PM-645 vxi. I am amazed my "wimpy" 60 watts per channel integrated amp from a 1992 purchase, blows the doors off this more recent, 100 watts per channel HK. I guess, HK has gotten better at specmanship than high-quality , high-performance audio.
I saw a review from a dude at zero-distortion dot com that finally rang through to me. I am not an EE but an ME, so, most of this stuff is above my head. But when he pointed to the fact that a massive line-filter greatly helped to improve the imaging of this receiver, that confimed my suspicions that this piece of electronics is as over-rated as Santa Claus.
Yes, it has some jouce, but just don't listen too carefully!
I think I am moving on to Rotel or Outlaw seperates. It looks like they are both in the business of offering products that deliver!
- Former HK guy.

I hope you will find this interesting.
Wifee bought this for me, as I had been a proud owner of a HK from college days, that being a PM-645VXI. The PM645VXI is a true bad boy, you will appreciate this more in just a bit.
I have been always unimpressed with the sound quality from my HK3470. Sure, it has power to spare; it can make you ears bleed, but the imaging is just not there. I am not an audiophile, actually deah in one ear. The reason my one ear is damaged, as I have always loved, loud music. But appreciated good quality reproduction. As for good quality reproduction, this HK-3470 is lame. Just tonight, I finally am happy with it. I am using it as a pre-amp(remote control) for my stellar PM-645 vxi. I am amazed my "wimpy" 60 watts per channel integrated amp from a 1992 purchase, blows the doors off this more recent, 100 watts per channel HK. I guess, HK has gotten better at specmanship than high-quality , high-performance audio.
I saw a review from a dude at zero-distortion dot com that finally rang through to me. I am not an EE but an ME, so, most of this stuff is above my head. But when he pointed to the fact that a massive line-filter greatly helped to improve the imaging of this receiver, that confimed my suspicions that this piece of electronics is as over-rated as Santa Claus.
Yes, it has some jouce, but just don't listen too carefully!
I think I am moving on to Rotel or Outlaw seperates. It looks like they are both in the business of offering products that deliver!
- Former HK guy.

lots of power, lots of analog inputs, allows tons of hookup options, two sets of speaker terminals, so you can bi wire your speakers, affoordable price, whether new or used,durable frame and construction

Weakness:

terminals don't accept spade lugs, v max processing is terrible, remote could have been more efficient, runs hot very quickly, tuner antenna sucks, poor reception, only a one year warranty, that's about it.

well, this is my first receiver, before now, i would buy a mini shelf system, oh, i was such a fool. now, i can actually feel the music deep in my soul. this reciever is terrific. i bought it brand new and paid a lot more than most people, i don't do e bay or buy refurbs, but i think it's worth every penny. looking back, however, knowing what i know now about the audio world, i would save up and buy a more high end receiver. see, i only listen to cd's, and it has tons of inputs, tape, phono, etc., that i've paid for and will never use. i use a simple 3 speaker stereo setup, left, right, and a powered sub.this recever if, nothing else, will give you mucho power, and pretty clean sound to go with it. for the price, it really is your best bet, well, no actually a year after i bought this bad boy, hk came out with the hk 3475, same model except it delivers 110 watts per channel as opposed to 100 wpc this one delivers.dosen't matter, until i rent a place that i don't share a wall with neighbors, i can't crank it up anyhow. i never go past halfway on the volume control, and as you may find, you don't need to. now here comes the bad stuff about the receiver. v max is horrible, a wasted feature at best. the remote lacks some control, example, bass and treble control, and poor volume control. the rear speaker inputs don't allow for spade terminals, minor inconvenience, and the receiver itself runs extremely hot in a short amount of time, to remedy this i bought a quiet fan and propped it to cool it down. exterior design tends to collect lots of dirt, dust, and prints, so your always wiping it off. overall, good starter receiver, till you can afford something better, such as a receiver with a .5 distortion or less, this one has a .7 thd.

Similar Products Used:
too many crappy brands i care to admit to, but i have seen the light, and it is good.

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

lee lane Audio Enthusiast

[Aug 04, 2003]

Strength:

lots of power, lots of analog inputs, allows tons of hookup options, two sets of speaker terminals, so you can bi wire your speakers, affoordable price, whether new or used,durable frame and construction

Weakness:
terminals don't accept spade lugs, v max processing is terrible, remote could have been more efficient, runs hot very quickly, tuner antenna sucks, poor reception, only a one year warranty, that's about it.

well, this is my first receiver, before now, i would buy a mini shelf system, oh, i was such a fool. now, i can actually feel the music deep in my soul. this reciever is terrific. i bought it brand new and paid a lot more than most people, i don't do e bay or buy refurbs, but i think it's worth every penny. looking back, however, knowing what i know now about the audio world, i would save up and buy a more high end receiver. see, i only listen to cd's, and it has tons of inputs, tape, phono, etc., that i've paid for and will never use. i use a simple 3 speaker stereo setup, left, right, and a powered sub.this recever if, nothing else, will give you mucho power, and pretty clean sound to go with it. for the price, it really is your best bet, well, no actually a year after i bought this bad boy, hk came out with the hk 3475, same model except it delivers 110 watts per channel as opposed to 100 wpc this one delivers.dosen't matter, until i rent a place that i don't share a wall with neighbors, i can't crank it up anyhow. i never go past halfway on the volume control, and as you may find, you don't need to. now here comes the bad stuff about the receiver. v max is horrible, a wasted feature at best. the remote lacks some control, example, bass and treble control, and poor volume control. the rear speaker inputs don't allow for spade terminals, minor inconvenience, and the receiver itself runs extremely hot in a short amount of time, to remedy this i bought a quiet fan and propped it to cool it down. exterior design tends to collect lots of dirt, dust, and prints, so your always wiping it off. overall, good starter receiver, till you can afford something better, such as a receiver with a .5 distortion or less, this one has a .7 thd.

Similar Products Used:
too many crappy brands i care to admit to, but i have seen the light, and it is good.

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

carl180
Audio Enthusiast [Jun 22, 2003]

Strength:

Great sound with a lot of power. Stylish design.

Weakness:

remote and VMAX

I got this unit after reading through a lot of reviews at this site. From my reading it sounded like this was the best receiver for the money. So, I went on ebay and waited for a good price. I havenâ€™t been disappointed. True, the remote isnâ€™t very good, but I honestly donâ€™t use it very much. I have the receiver where I can reach it from my chair and donâ€™t get up much. It has quite a bit a base which I find distracting at times. So much so, I have to reach over and adjust the bass manually (there is no way to do it with the remote). However, I do enjoy the loud overbearing bass when listening to music that needs it. Itâ€™s nice to have a receiver that doesnâ€™t need a separate sub amplifier. It is also quite loud. I never listen to it with the volume turned up over half way and only then when Iâ€™m having a party. Because an eighth of the volume is a comfortable volume and a quarter is a little too loud and the remote doesnâ€™t provide very fine volume control, you basically canâ€™t use the remote to adjust the volume. The receiver does have a stylish look to it and the controls on the front are well laid out and easy to use which help make up for the bad remote. VMAX is a joke. I never use. It just muddles up the music and makes everything sound just plain bad. If youâ€™re looking for a simple receiver with out many bells and whistles with a lot of power and good sound, I would recommend this unit, but donâ€™t be surprised if you never use the remote or VMAX.

Similar Products Used:
AIWA

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

carl180 Audio Enthusiast

[Jun 22, 2003]

Strength:

Great sound with a lot of power. Stylish design.

Weakness:
remote and VMAX

I got this unit after reading through a lot of reviews at this site. From my reading it sounded like this was the best receiver for the money. So, I went on ebay and waited for a good price. I havenâ€™t been disappointed. True, the remote isnâ€™t very good, but I honestly donâ€™t use it very much. I have the receiver where I can reach it from my chair and donâ€™t get up much. It has quite a bit a base which I find distracting at times. So much so, I have to reach over and adjust the bass manually (there is no way to do it with the remote). However, I do enjoy the loud overbearing bass when listening to music that needs it. Itâ€™s nice to have a receiver that doesnâ€™t need a separate sub amplifier. It is also quite loud. I never listen to it with the volume turned up over half way and only then when Iâ€™m having a party. Because an eighth of the volume is a comfortable volume and a quarter is a little too loud and the remote doesnâ€™t provide very fine volume control, you basically canâ€™t use the remote to adjust the volume. The receiver does have a stylish look to it and the controls on the front are well laid out and easy to use which help make up for the bad remote. VMAX is a joke. I never use. It just muddles up the music and makes everything sound just plain bad. If youâ€™re looking for a simple receiver with out many bells and whistles with a lot of power and good sound, I would recommend this unit, but donâ€™t be surprised if you never use the remote or VMAX.

I read the other reviews on this web site before I purchased my 3470. Many other audiophiles said it was "warm" sounding and I agree! However, for me being a Rock fan this was a welcome thing. I'm running a pair of Klipsch towers and I'll tell you honestly if your into the Doors or Van Halen or anything similar this unit [combined with my Klipsch towers] sounds fantastic! Tremendous bass and power.I was running a Denon 50 watt per ch. and was considering a subwoofer addition. I got the 3470 and now I no longer need/want the sub. The tuner needs a "better" antenna but if the signals there it sounds good. Overall, for the price I paid I doubt I could have done any better.

I read the other reviews on this web site before I purchased my 3470. Many other audiophiles said it was "warm" sounding and I agree! However, for me being a Rock fan this was a welcome thing. I'm running a pair of Klipsch towers and I'll tell you honestly if your into the Doors or Van Halen or anything similar this unit [combined with my Klipsch towers] sounds fantastic! Tremendous bass and power.I was running a Denon 50 watt per ch. and was considering a subwoofer addition. I got the 3470 and now I no longer need/want the sub. The tuner needs a "better" antenna but if the signals there it sounds good. Overall, for the price I paid I doubt I could have done any better.

I also bought the receiver (refurbished) through Harmon-Kardon online. Came with some minor blemishes but otherwise in perfect condition. For the money, it sounds great. I power an M&K MX100 sub and a pair of B&W 602 S2's. Just switched out the preamp in & out factory plugs with AudioQuest jumpers ($39) and it makes a perceptible difference. Working on adding other quality cabling, but even with cheapo cabling it sounds great.

I also bought the receiver (refurbished) through Harmon-Kardon online. Came with some minor blemishes but otherwise in perfect condition. For the money, it sounds great. I power an M&K MX100 sub and a pair of B&W 602 S2's. Just switched out the preamp in & out factory plugs with AudioQuest jumpers ($39) and it makes a perceptible difference. Working on adding other quality cabling, but even with cheapo cabling it sounds great.

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

5

★★★★★

★★★★★

Doug H
AudioPhile [Mar 16, 2003]

Strength:

Solid sound, doesn't add anything to the source if you don't want it to. Vmax processing an interesting toy.

Weakness:

Design could be better, as could remote. Vmax processing is very bad with some sources.

I really quite enjoy this receiver. I left it on for about a week after buying it, then did a burn in for about another week with mild music going 24/7. I find this helps the thing to really get settled.
The system has a well designed set of tone and balance controls which appear to be disengaged when you set the dials straight up (they sort of click off it seems). I have so far found the unit to not require any tone modification. I have a small 12x24 room and my stereo is setup facing the shorter wall. My setup includes HK CDR 30 and JBL s26II speakers.
When playing CDs I find the unit to quietly move the source input right along. The sound output sounds near to my Grado headphones being driver stright from the CD unit itself. With proper speaker placement the soundstage opens up. The unit likes to handle small group recordings with ambeience over bigger groups or distortion laden heavy metal. Jazz combos recorded live come off crisp and clean, with the slight wash of echo natural to a live setting.
Heavy metal and rap tend to have too much bass naturally, and this receiver tends to overemphasize it as well. Not listening to too much of it, I find this a minor distraction.
The unit really has quite a lot of power. Mated with the bookshelf size s26II's I can't seem to get the volume knob more than 1/4 the way up before it's rattling my windows and angering the neighbors. Power is certainly not a problem unless you have a huge room or want to blow your ears out.
The Vmax processing I find a mixed blessing. As far as I can tell, it adds is bunch of echo to what it thinks are the surround channel sounds and reverb to the main channel sounds to help blend it together. On some CDs the result is a muddied, echo-y mixture which turns good music into soup.
On others, however, the processing is a revelation. On Lyle Lovett's "Joshua Judges Ruth" I heard the soundstage open up and all of the musicians were playing live in my living room. Also, on Cat Power's "You Feel Free" I could hear a guitar behind me to the left and other instruments far off to the right. The effect was amazing; on some recordings it doesn't widen or surround-ify the soundstage but makes the recording sound more like a live concert with ECM style close mic-ing.
The tuner section needs the help of a good antenna. I tried hooking the unit directly to powered cable, but it didn't seem to help. The included two arm wire did little. I found that a small terk or magnum dynalab antenna works well, or at least a single strong wire you can bend and stick into a good position. Once the signal is there, the receiver reproduces everything just fine.
Like the CRR 30 I purchased about a year ago, the design of this HK prodcut takes a while to get used to. The remote is an entirely different layout than the faceplate, so you have to learn how to use the unit.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha receivers; pioneer receivers, various higher-end all in one systems

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

Doug H AudioPhile

[Mar 16, 2003]

Strength:

Solid sound, doesn't add anything to the source if you don't want it to. Vmax processing an interesting toy.

Weakness:
Design could be better, as could remote. Vmax processing is very bad with some sources.

I really quite enjoy this receiver. I left it on for about a week after buying it, then did a burn in for about another week with mild music going 24/7. I find this helps the thing to really get settled.
The system has a well designed set of tone and balance controls which appear to be disengaged when you set the dials straight up (they sort of click off it seems). I have so far found the unit to not require any tone modification. I have a small 12x24 room and my stereo is setup facing the shorter wall. My setup includes HK CDR 30 and JBL s26II speakers.
When playing CDs I find the unit to quietly move the source input right along. The sound output sounds near to my Grado headphones being driver stright from the CD unit itself. With proper speaker placement the soundstage opens up. The unit likes to handle small group recordings with ambeience over bigger groups or distortion laden heavy metal. Jazz combos recorded live come off crisp and clean, with the slight wash of echo natural to a live setting.
Heavy metal and rap tend to have too much bass naturally, and this receiver tends to overemphasize it as well. Not listening to too much of it, I find this a minor distraction.
The unit really has quite a lot of power. Mated with the bookshelf size s26II's I can't seem to get the volume knob more than 1/4 the way up before it's rattling my windows and angering the neighbors. Power is certainly not a problem unless you have a huge room or want to blow your ears out.
The Vmax processing I find a mixed blessing. As far as I can tell, it adds is bunch of echo to what it thinks are the surround channel sounds and reverb to the main channel sounds to help blend it together. On some CDs the result is a muddied, echo-y mixture which turns good music into soup.
On others, however, the processing is a revelation. On Lyle Lovett's "Joshua Judges Ruth" I heard the soundstage open up and all of the musicians were playing live in my living room. Also, on Cat Power's "You Feel Free" I could hear a guitar behind me to the left and other instruments far off to the right. The effect was amazing; on some recordings it doesn't widen or surround-ify the soundstage but makes the recording sound more like a live concert with ECM style close mic-ing.
The tuner section needs the help of a good antenna. I tried hooking the unit directly to powered cable, but it didn't seem to help. The included two arm wire did little. I found that a small terk or magnum dynalab antenna works well, or at least a single strong wire you can bend and stick into a good position. Once the signal is there, the receiver reproduces everything just fine.
Like the CRR 30 I purchased about a year ago, the design of this HK prodcut takes a while to get used to. The remote is an entirely different layout than the faceplate, so you have to learn how to use the unit.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha receivers; pioneer receivers, various higher-end all in one systems

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

steve
Audio Enthusiast [Feb 22, 2003]

Strength:

sounds big and spacious, preamp ins and outs, sub outs

Weakness:

not discrete output circuits

Great unit for $210.00!!! Easy to order online from HK. I would say is the best stereo receiver in this price range. Sounds great at low settings!!!! You dont have to crank it to get the bass you want. The pre-in and outs or great for upgrades or useing bose 901 eq. The best $200 dollars I ever spent.

Similar Products Used:
technics SA-GX 505

OVERALLRATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

VALUERATING

4

★★★★★

★★★★★

steve Audio Enthusiast

[Feb 22, 2003]

Strength:

sounds big and spacious, preamp ins and outs, sub outs

Weakness:
not discrete output circuits

Great unit for $210.00!!! Easy to order online from HK. I would say is the best stereo receiver in this price range. Sounds great at low settings!!!! You dont have to crank it to get the bass you want. The pre-in and outs or great for upgrades or useing bose 901 eq. The best $200 dollars I ever spent.